Republican Steve Hilton Will Take On Xavier Becerra in California Gubernatorial Race
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton has edged out progressive billionaire Tom Steyer and will advance to the November general election in the California gubernatorial race, according to a projection from the Associated Press.
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Hilton will take on former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the top finisher in the state’s nonpartisan “jungle” primary. He punched his ticket to the general election earlier this week.
The pair emerged as the top two vote getters in a crowded field of 61 candidates.
The projection that Hilton will advance comes one week after the primary election took place. Vote-counting in California is a slow process, in part because the state allows vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive over the course of several days after the election.
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Becerra now holds a significant edge heading into Election Day in his bid to become the governor of the overwhelmingly blue state of California. The last Republican to win a gubernatorial race in the Golden State was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served from 2003 to 2011.
Outgoing term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom took office in 2019.
The race to replace Newsom was shaken up in April when front-runner Eric Swalwell suspended his own gubernatorial bid following several sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell’s exit boosted Becerra, the other leading establishment Democrat in the race.
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